August 2011

a bed of flowers—raising happy children

She called me into her room to see this silly blip she noticed in her day—that everything on her and around her were flowered, full of flowers. And all of it all together, an unplanned surprise: her blouse—a hand-me-down, her skirt—a handmade gift...and the sheets—the only set I could find to match her happy-colored orangebedroom wall. Seeing the clashing coordination of all these things when she was giggling on her bed was a reason to laugh in itself. A quirky happy coincidence of all those flowers. And laugh we did. Until our bellies hurt.

We're enjoying this season of flowers outdoors too, all things bright and bold, sunshine smiles and warm weather laughter. And even when the flowers do hibernate for awhile, come winter, she still has her meadow here inside, all around her. I'm happy we're raising happy children.

2 Surround your children with happy hues. Warm colors like yellow and orange bring a feeling of well-being and cheerfulness.

3 Have children enjoy plenty of outside play. Sunshine literally showers us with happiness (Vitamin D).

4 Outside play often leads to active play. Physical activity is good for a healthy body, heart and mind.

5 Quiet time is re-energizing time. If your child is busy, let their minds and bodies reboot with time to rest, read, imagine and dream.

6 Feed them healthy snacks and meals. Nutritious foods are full of vitamins and minerals that regulate a child's mood and give them energy.

7Pare down your child's lessons, practices and sports. Ours choose only one or two activities a week. This creates a family enjoying calm, quiet, happy together time not focused on rushing to the next meeting, game, or commitment. This also lets us—

8 Eat dinner together every evening. Family dinner time gathers the family. Children are secure and happy when they feel their family is stable, happy, and enjoys being together. Dinner time together facilitates a family conversation, closeness, trust, and shared laughter—

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a bed of flowers—raising happy children

She called me into her room to see this silly blip she noticed in her day—that everything on her and around her were flowered, full of flowers. And all of it all together, an unplanned surprise: her blouse—a hand-me-down, her skirt—a handmade gift...and the sheets—the only set I could find to match her happy-colored orangebedroom wall. Seeing the clashing coordination of all these things when she was giggling on her bed was a reason to laugh in itself. A quirky happy coincidence of all those flowers. And laugh we did. Until our bellies hurt.

We're enjoying this season of flowers outdoors too, all things bright and bold, sunshine smiles and warm weather laughter. And even when the flowers do hibernate for awhile, come winter, she still has her meadow here inside, all around her. I'm happy we're raising happy children.

2 Surround your children with happy hues. Warm colors like yellow and orange bring a feeling of well-being and cheerfulness.

3 Have children enjoy plenty of outside play. Sunshine literally showers us with happiness (Vitamin D).

4 Outside play often leads to active play. Physical activity is good for a healthy body, heart and mind.

5 Quiet time is re-energizing time. If your child is busy, let their minds and bodies reboot with time to rest, read, imagine and dream.

6 Feed them healthy snacks and meals. Nutritious foods are full of vitamins and minerals that regulate a child's mood and give them energy.

7Pare down your child's lessons, practices and sports. Ours choose only one or two activities a week. This creates a family enjoying calm, quiet, happy together time not focused on rushing to the next meeting, game, or commitment. This also lets us—

8 Eat dinner together every evening. Family dinner time gathers the family. Children are secure and happy when they feel their family is stable, happy, and enjoys being together. Dinner time together facilitates a family conversation, closeness, trust, and shared laughter—